Elise Quevedo: Books for Kicking Ass

I do what I love for a living, I’m an entrepreneur. I provide a service based on my knowledge and skills. Which translates into ‘I’m an Author, Social Media Consultant & Inspirational Keynote Speaker’.

I am re-reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Yes, my Mom loved books! Although I did not follow up on her acquired taste for war and history books. My Mom was born in 1935 in Spain which was right before World War II. All I remember from my younger days is books about Franco, Hitler and anything to do with the war and what happened since then! As a Kid, I did not have Internet, so I grew up reading Encyclopedias and spending lots of hours at the local library.

That’s a great question! I grew up in Spain until I was 17, but I started reading English books at the age of 6. The book that comes to mind is The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. I actually remember hiding under my duvet with a torch and reading the book because I had already gone past my bedtime. I loved reading as a kid. It transported me to a different world, and to be honest that has not changed much! It is probably why I ended up in the film industry for a while.

A telecommunications engineer. Although surprise surprise that did not happen! I was surrounded by over achievers on my Mom’s side of the family, but as I grew up, that changed. I did not want to be stuck to a desk and I loved travel too much. My creative side kicked in in my early teens and has not left me since!

Wow! You’ve done it! After a lot of hard work and determination, you are now doing what you love! But hey, that has come after nearly two decades of acquiring skills, working 9-5’s, failing in business and lots of sweat and many, many tears. I think my school aged self would be proud that I never gave up. That after all the hardships that came my way, I kept going and I am in a place where I get to inspire others to do the same.

It would have to be Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I never learnt about personal development or success as a child. This is the sort of mindset younger generations need to learn: “All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination. Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.“

It is a book I read at least once a year.

Actually no, as my schedule is always changing due to my clients’ needs. I travel often, so I love to read whilst traveling. I always carry a book with me, so if I am waiting I will read up a few pages. But on Sundays I do dedicate extra time for reading an actual book, as I am constantly reading up on different subjects online for research purposes. I come across people who say ‘I don’t read’, but they actually do, they read blogs, magazines, articles… but the good old sit down with a book is something we don’t see as often as we should!

You may call it self promotion, but I have to say it’s mine, Creating a Kick-Ass Attitude. I have read so many amazing books throughout the years that it would be tough to pinpoint the one that gave me the ‘AHA’ moment. It was a combination of all of them. When I wrote my book, I didn’t do it for anyone else, I wrote it as a reminder to myself! To this date, although I have written other things and I have evolved a lot mentally since writing that book, it will always be the push I needed to change my life and my career path. It is a reminder that I could do anything I put my mind to. That no matter what people say, we all have choices and we can all make our dreams and goals come true. That is why this book has had the biggest impact. It is because of that book that I got into Social Media and now I get to work with some pretty amazing people, this journey I am a part of right now would have never happened if it wasn’t for ‘ Creating a Kick-Ass Attitude’.

Yes, Conquer Fear by Lisa Jimenez. She was my first inspirational coach and every time I see that book in my bookshelf I remember how I met her, the path I took to save up money to hire her and now I get people who read my book and hire me! We all have beginnings, we all have someone that inspired us in the past and I am very lucky to have had some amazing coaches who inspired me to always do the best I possibly could.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. It is an incredible book. Not for the faint-hearted as it is nearly 600 pages long, but it takes you on a great journey.

Non-fiction. My main reads are business and inspirational. I prefer my non-fiction as movies; and no, I have not read all Harry Potters, Twilight, The Hunger Games or 50 Shades of Grey! Haha, I prefer those as movies.

100%! Reading is what feeds the mind, just as food feeds the body. How can we expand our knowledge if we do not read? Reading stimulates the brain, it soaks up information like a sponge and the more you give it, the more it wants!

The Art of War by Sun Tzu, if anyone has not read it yet, simply do it.

Good question! Nothing beats a good old physical book, but sometimes it is more convenient to read it online. It all depends on where you are at the time. I grew up in a real book world, so that will always be my first instinct, plus you cannot autograph a digital one.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy; to this date it is still regarded as one of the central works of world literature.

Yes, they would be:

Finding Sarah by Sarah Ferguson. It is a very inspirational book that empowers women and shows you how to always keep going. I have always found that when you are in the public eye, you are going to get a lot more beatings from the press and online trolls; you have to develop a very thick skin. The Duchess of York is a great inspiration and role model to women and mothers out there. I think a lot of people can relate to the book and the stories she shares. We need more people like her sharing their journey to keep inspiring those who don’t know where to turn or where to start looking for help.

You Want to Be an Entrepreneur by Jeff Stoller. Jeff is a good friend of mine, and for anyone wanting to start up a business and become an entrepreneur, his book tells it as it is. It makes you think of a lot of areas in business you may have not thought of at the beginning. It is extremely informative.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. Another great and inspirational book. It can get a bit preachy sometimes, but I know it will help change the way you think and move your life forward.

I like to keep updated in business, tech, and inspirational subjects. So any books that catch my eye on those matters.

Interestingly enough, I have started to write a book called ‘A life with no regrets’ which is pretty much based on a lot of my own personal experiences; so who knows! It might turn into an autobiography in the end!